I have reached that point in my life again when I start to look at my life and look for things I would like to change, to do differently. I have reached this point many times in the past although I don't remember it taking me so long to take the next steps before! Having children and a husband to consider certainly makes the decision making progress more complex than just figuring out what is best for me.
So I did an angel card reading for myself at the start of the year (did you know that about me? Probably not. I don't really talk to people about that) and this is one of the cards that came up for me:
My life purpose is to do with communication and the arts.
And my response was a resounding "yes!". Just the idea of making my living through writing, speaking, photography and painting makes me so happy. And if there is anyone who can make this career change work it is definitely me. I love reinventing myself and my career and have always harboured a desire to speak and write, I just haven't always had the subject matter at hand.
I don't really know what my subject is. What I can write that would help others. Money maybe, lots of people wanted to talk to me about my last blog post. I'm certainly not keen to add my voice to the parenting 'experts' out there. I believe that each family, each parent, each child is an individual like no other and what works for one family doesn't work for another. Only each individual can work out what their family needs. And sure, asking people who inspire you for ideas is cool. And reading and researching your options is totally my method of finding out what works for me. (A friend of mine once called me the most well-researched parent she knew). I like to learn, to read, to experiment to find out what works.
Which brings me onto another thing I did this year. I took a character strengths test - it was great fun and free -
https://www.viacharacter.org/surveys.aspx
Anyway, my top five character strengths are a love of learning, creativity, curiosity, gratitude and social intelligence. Awesome, that sounds like me. And then in crept this little doubting voice that said "So what? Yes that's you but it doesn't change who you are or how incapable you are.". (I'm often surprised by what I am capable of - I seem to have this belief that I am not capable of anything and then I have to go out and try to prove myself wrong which is a challenging way to achieve things that's for sure.)
Another concept I have been learning, which has more come from all the reading about money that I've been doing (there is that love of learning coming out, you see? Clever survey!) is the need to add value to others lives. Of course, if I take beautiful photos for a family and they love them they are happy to pay me for my work. I see that as adding value to others. But writing? And speaking? I wonder how that adds value to others? I'm still trying to figure it all out.
Anyway I am posting this as another way marker. A guide post that says "I woz ere"... and I had fun writing it too.